Fruit-packing stand



Dec. 9, 1930. E. R. WALKER FRUIT PACKING STAND Filed June 11, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec.- 9, 1930. E. R. WALKER FRUIT PACKING STAND File'd June 11, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 9, 1930. E R WALKER 1,784,403

FRUIT mus smn Filed June 11, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet s Dec. 9, 1930. E. R. WALKER FRUIT PACKING STAND 4 Shets-Sheet 4 Filed June 11, 1928 Patented Dec. 9 1930.

EDWIN :a. ALKER, or YAKIMA, wnsnmeron FRUIT-PACKING s'rnnn Application filed June 11,

This invention aims to provide novel means whereby a Woman packer, or'other person having no great amount of strength, can handle a crate of fruit without exertion,

5, and place it on a conveyor in a packing house, it being unnecessary to provide an attendant to shift the boxes upon the conveyor, after they have been packed. I g

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the invention appertainsQ Withthe above andother objects in view, which will appear as the description procoeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed,it being understood that changes I in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.v

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows in top plan, a device constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation;

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a 7 part of the mounting for the tray;

7 Figure 5 is a section showing the latch and attendant parts;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a Figure 1;

Figure 8 is an elevation showing one of the clamps; i a

Figure 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Figure 2. a V

In carrying out the'invention, there is provided a main frame 1 provided with a handle section on mannerof 21 by whlch the operator can move the frame :1. I Oneedge of the p g 17 there is a about. The frame may be of any desired height and length. The frame includes corner posts 2 provided near to their lowerv ends with guide brackets 3 in which legs 1 are vertically adjustable, the legs being provided at their lower ends with ball bearing castors.

1f the operator desires, the legs 4 and the 1928. Serial No} 284,444.

castors 5 may beomitted, but when they are provided, they afiord a means whereby the frame 1 can be adjusted asto height and whereby the frame can be rolled about. The legs 4; fitin grooved abutmentblocks 6 on the posts'2, and the legs are held in the abutment blocks by clamping bolts 7 engaged around the legs and slidable in the posts 2. It is obvious that bysl'acking off the clamping bolts 7, the'frame 1 can be adjusted up and down on the legs 4;,to vary the efi'ective height of the frame; ,A packing table 8 is provided and isv hinged at one end to the frame 1, as shown at 9, so that the end of the packing table which is nearest to the operator can be adjusted up and down. During the operation of packing, the fruit in a box (not shown) is on the table 8,,the table 8 ordinarily slants downwardly and forwardly, as shown in Figures 2 and 6, and rests on a wear strip 11 secured to the frame. The wear strip '11 has a finger 12 at one end which engages the side of the packing table and holds it securely in the position shown in Figure 2. Rollers 10 on the front end of the packing table 8 and on the back end of the table are adapted to, carry the box which is to be filled, and the table 8 has a stop 14 on its outer side which prevents the box from sliding off, to the right in igure 2, whilst the box is being packed. An angular stop 15 on the forward end of the table 8 keeps the box from sliding down out of place when the .table 8 is inclined toward the operator as shownin Figure 6. The box stop 15 is held on theforward end of thepacking table 8 by a-securing element 16.

The securingelement 16 forms a pivotal mounting for the upper end of a downwardly extended raising and lowering p1unger-17 'which :reciprocates ina lower guide 18 and an upper guide 19 on the frame seat 2-0. The seat 20, when the plunger 17 is raised, is adapted to cooperate with one arm of a latch 22 which is shown in Figure 5. The latch 22 is provided intermediate its ends with a spring 23 which tends to'press one arm of the latch into the seat 20 of the crumed intermediate its ends,

'frnountedinthe frame 1.- 1-

- 10 is an eye 27 in whichis piroted alink 2 8, the

link 28tbeing pivoted tea'leveraarulcrhnie'trt on the frame 1 within easy reach'otan opers ator. An operating member, in the form a pedal 30 is provided, ,thegpedal being ful v at 31 on a bracket=33jcarried by an intermediate post32 which-f-forms part "of th main frame-1; A- rtractile spring=34 is connectedatits ends to thepli lli gei lt-andtothe bracket 33-. p The g sprihg 34*is stretched wh n the p f g moves-downwardly} *The' action ofthe I spri g ai; therefore, is to ease downthe packing ta le'r8 when the acking table 'swings on its'hiiiged mounting, into the inclin'ed posi- 3 tion shown in Figure 6, j and; 'thespring 34,"

'hmeqver; having been stretched as; aforea said, aids in'the raising of the table 8 andthe packed box bf'fruit-'into ahorizontal position as and for a purpose to bedescribed hereinafter. The numeral '35 marks a skid located t atone sideofthepacking table 8, as

shownin Figural, i r The-skid 35 hasroll'e'r's 37 arranged parallel to the rollers on the packing table'8. That ts end of the skid which'is nearest to the packing table 8 is hingedly mounted, as=-shown at 36, on the frame 1, so that the end of the skid '35 which is remote'from thehingedmounting 536 "canfbe swung up and down. Figure 7 "10 shows that props 88 are pivotally mounted at '39v on the outer end oi the skid 35, the props 38having slots-40 receiving clamp bolts '41 a o 'ej numeral 42' "arks an extension, the I I5 .outer' end tifwhich' is disposed at right angles tofthfe' length er the skid 35 and parallel to the asking house conveyor 45, the outer end of t e extension being disposed above the I h weyq The extension 'hasflany desired "to number of 'r neiste, and the inner end of the extension is-hinged--atf44 to the skid 35," so

' that the extension can be turned over on top 7 oflthetskidyasindicated in Figure-2 in solid line, upon occasion On that side [of the flame/1 which is remote from the place where the, operator stands there is a bearing'N and ;a clamp 52 (Figure 8);; Inthe bearin" and pin the clamp vismounted an inclined. tu ula 'ltablein'adjusted positions.

supp which sm W w ppe end '30 ,defineshoulders k a r V Thenumeral49denotes an arm carrying trayt 50inwhi'ch is mounted the paper and other articles that a packer may need, The hrmia has Qafi'nger 51 that extends downw'ar'dly 'inth'jths up pi the of the'sup'port 46. I

the skid 35 is at thefproperiheight'with respect to the conveyor 45, asshown in Figure 2, and, then, 30 I the table 8 with the packed box of fruit. I

, frame, a packing table, a skid locatedat one I jside'ofthe packing table, meansfor mounting the and thepacking t'able'onthe frame a for swinging movement'in directions at an angle to 'eachother, an extension'the outer'end In practical operation, the packing table 8 rests at an incline, as shown in Figure 6, the box (not shown) being. on the table. The arm 49 is turned around against one of the shouders 48 on the support 46 until the. tray 50 is within easy reach of an operator standing at the lower end of the table 8. The extension-'42 generally is turned backinto the solid line position of Figure 2, so that boxes of fruit, carried along vby the conveyor 45 ffoni'hth'r"packing stands, will not knock ggailgst thq extension. The left hand end of adjusted vertically until it is thejclarnp bolts 41 aretightened up tov hold the 'skid 35'in the position to'whichithas been adjusted. The: operator now Wraps'the fruit and packs the "fruit into the box (not shown) on the inclined table 8; After 1 the box has been packed, the'tray 50 is swung around out of the way, as shoWn'inFigure 1.

J The operator stepson the peda130iand' raises 1 the plunger 17 untilthe' latch 22 -en- Y J ga es inthe seat 20 of'the plunger. By this voperatioi'i, theleft handend of the table 8 igure 6 is raised untilthe table is hori- 'Zontalor nearly so. The packed boxthen is Po shed from therollers 10 of thetab p i I the rollers 37 of the skid 35 and from thence? upon the extension 42 which has been lowered so that it overhan s the conveyor 45, as shown in Figure 2 in so lid line. The construction *ofthe device is such that a person having but along'until it is on the conveyor 45.

the positionshown in Figures 2 and '6. The fextension '42 is turned up into'the position, C shown in Figure 2. The lever 29 and thelink1 28 are operated to disengage the latch 22 from the seat, 20 in the plunger '17 and thepllinger 17 moves downwardly into the placeshown in'Fig'ure 2, the table8 coming to restat an incline, asfdepicted in Figured. Als fha's been stated'hereinbefore,the spring '34 cushions the downward Inov'tnnent ofthe plunger 17 and, aids in theraisingof the plunger and What is'claimed is 1 5 side of the packing table, means for mounting the skid and'the p'acking table'on the framet,

for vertical, swinging,movement'jin direci ib s a -r? ht angle to c o h i an' l hs- Y or: ow he: sk d and'thtp ck ng of h'hhjisaisposed approximately at right 1 little strength can trundle the box of fruifl loc angles to the length of the skid and means for mounting the extension on the skid for swinging movement to overhang the skid.

when the extension is not in use.

3. In a device of the class described, a frame, a packing table, a skid, means for mounting the packing table and the skid on the frame for swinging movement in directions approximately at right angles to each other, a tray, and means for mounting the tray on the frame for horizontal swinging movement to a position overhanging the skid, and to a position behind and clear of the skid so that a box maybe shoved over the skid.

4. In a device of the class described, a frame, a skid, means for mounting the skid for raising and lowering, a packing table, means for mounting the packing table at one end of the skid for raising and lowering; mechanism for raising and lowering the packing table, said mechanism comprising a lever fulcrumed on the frame, and a plunger pivoted to the lever and to the packing table; a latch wherewith the plunger automatically engages as the plunger is raised, and means under the control of an operator for disengaging the latch from the plunger.

7 5. In a device of the class described, .a frame, a packing table and a skid cooperating therewith, means for mounting the skid and the packing table on the frame for vertical adjustment; legs, mechanism for mounting the frame on the legs for vertical adjustment, thereby to vary the height of the packing table with respect to an operator.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature.

EDWIN R. WALKER. 

